Yet another lifestyle poll from the Goo Rankings chart. A recent survey questioned Japanese locals about what moments they found happiness in each day. The results they got were amusing.

1. When the drink comes out of the vending machine

2. When it begins to rain the instant upon reaching home

3. When the traffic light turns green when I arrive

4. When my train reaches home

5. When someone seated in front of me in a crowded train gets off and I could sit immediately

6. When I manage to drive uninterrupted by traffic lights

7. When I receive fresh notes/coins

8. When I manage to use up all my 1 and 5 yen coins during payment

9. When the seats beside me are unoccupied in the Limited Express

10. When I wake up thinking it’s a weekday but it turned out to be a weekend

Other less popular answers included the likes of “Upon looking at a digital clock, the minute digits were all zeros” and “While shopping, the bill added up without fractions”.

Of course, most of these answers are applicable to life in Singapore as well, with the exception of the #1 result, which is only possible in Japan. There, people have grown accustomed to the convenience of having vending machines at every possible corner. Singaporeans on the other hand are more reliant on the daily Kopi & Teh.

In what moments do you find satisfaction each day? As petty as some of the results may seem, I find myself guilty too of quite a few of the examples above. Particularly, those related to traveling on the train. Unfortunately, this happens infrequently. For the most part, public transport in Singapore is a living hell.

If I had to vote though, my greatest joy comes from the rare times when I manage to receive friendly service in this country where even those paid to smile never do.

SupermerlionSupermerlion's Webmaster and Editor-in-Chief. Singaporean Nikkeijin with over 12 years of experience in the media industry. Producer at a Japanese entertainment company. Former Web Developer, Graphic Designer, Multimedia Programmer, Manager and Consultant. Shoots with a Canon 5Dmk2 and Sony RX100-2.